Up to now, not one mk conveyor that we are using or have used has broken down.
Nowadays, packaging has to meet a variety of different requirements, from two-sided seams, to handles to being resealable. The systems for producing and handling this packaging have to be flexible enough to adapt to these different conditions. Only producers with the right mix of in-house production and suitable components from other suppliers can meet the needs of this market. Beck Packautomaten chooses the modular conveyor technology provided by Maschinenbau Kitz when designing its systems.
Packaging designers are constantly thinking up remarkable new packaging solutions that not only protect the product but are also intended to awaken our impulse to buy at the point of sale.
For the industrial packaging sector, these multifaceted requirements placed on their products represent a major challenge, especially to packaging machines.
Beck Packautomaten GmbH & Co. KG from Frickenhausen near Stuttgart in Germany has demonstrated its worth as a manufacturer of packaging machines at an international level many times over.
Starting more than 55 years ago with the “Nürtingen Textile Packer” textile packaging machine, Beck Packautomaten has developed into an established manufacturer of film packing machines and shrink-wrap units.
With more than 5,500 customers on all 5 continents and experience working in over 40 sectors, Beck Packautomaten has managed to adapt to the widest variety of requirements through its machine portfolio.
“We always strive to approach requests from our customers with as much flexibility as possible,” says Marco Corrado. “If necessary, we move away from our standard solutions and even develop completely new ones for our customers.”
Beck Packautomaten also attaches great importance to the high quality of its machines. Not just the high-tech elements like the control and handling have to function smoothly and reliably. The mechanical components also have to meet a high quality standard for Beck packaging machines. “We utilize local production facilities and products from Germany for our machines wherever possible,” says Marco Corrado.
Beck Packautomaten and its philosophy are fully in vogue with the trends in packaging machine manufacturing: According to Quest Trend Magazine, the amount of packaging machines sold since 2012 has not grown strongly. However, it reports, turnover has risen significantly – with the value of each sold packaging machine also growing steadily, machines are becoming more high-quality. The main reason for this is that machine manufacturers are continuously increasing the functional intensity and performance of packaging machines.
Up to now, not one mk conveyor that we are using or have used has broken down.
To achieve the level of flexibility and reliability required, Beck Packautomaten has relied on the conveyor technology modules of Maschinenbau Kitz GmbH (mk) from Troisdorf near Bonn in Germany for a number of years now. “Up to now, not one mk conveyor that we are using or have used has broken down,” says Marco Corrado.
The necessary conveyors are designed to meet every requirement. And the areas of use are multifaceted: From small and light products of just a few grams up to full rolls of carpet weighing up to 100 kg per role, mk conveyors were able to demonstrate their strengths in every challenge. The longest mk conveyor used by Beck was around 12 meters long.
One of the biggest benefits of mk products is the variety of its system: Using the modular aluminum profile technology as the basis, every function of modern factory automation can be implemented with ease. “The system suits us very well. We can build the exact conveyor that we need, practically like you could with Lego.”
Beck can also use its mk conveyors for the most varied environmental conditions. In textile areas, for instance, the conditions can often be very dirty with large amounts of dust. That was not an issue for the mk conveyors. Even with the abrasive contaminants produced when working with insulation boards, the mk products managed to operate effectively. And at the other end of the spectrum, Beck also uses mk conveyors for very clean environments with cleanroom conditions. Conveyors with closed slots and sealed bearings, for instance, are especially suitable for this purpose.
Beck mostly uses mk conveyors as feed-in or feed-out belts. Belts that include printing are often put to use. This orientation guide allows plant operators to lay out the products to be packaged precisely for optimum utilization of the machine. And mk products are even integrated into some of the packaging machines as part of the machine itself. Usually, Beck selects standard mk conveyors and adapts them to the relevant requirements. “The system slots make it really easy for us to add any additional functions that we need.”
These additional required functions include, for example, cross-pusher stations for removing defective parts. Beck frequently employs mk belt conveyors for this function. The belt is guided by a lengthwise ridge on the running side. As a result, parts can be removed without having a negative effect on the belt run. Multiple products can also be collected on the conveyor and then packaged together.
In some cases, mk were even able to provide special solutions for Beck Packautomaten: One conveyor in a machine, for instance, can be folded down on the side so that parts can be ejected from the long side of the conveyor. They then reach a lower-lying level and can be transported on from there.
That is exactly what has brought mk so much success on the market for 50 years: On the one hand, mk offers a modular and sophisticated technical conveyor system based on its aluminum profile technology. On the other, mk has a particular and distinct expertise in the area of conveyor technology for creating solutions that deviate from the standard. Christian Becker, product manager at mk, explains this peculiar spread of turnover. “Unlike many other suppliers, we can create custom solutions with relatively little effort.” At the same time, however, the ability to reuse the individual components also ensures fast delivery times and a favorable price.
Another benefit of mk products for Beck Packautomaten are the proportionally low installation dimensions of the mk conveyors. The Beck machines are the most compact ones with their capabilities on the market. “Space requirements are becoming more and more important for our customers,” says Marco Corrado. And he is not alone: According to a trend report form the industry magazine Pharma + Food, as well as simple changes to formats and high levels of productivity, small space requirements are one of the most important requirements for packaging machines in the cosmetics, foodstuffs and pharmaceutical industries.
mk also supplies small and short conveyors with a tail diameter of 22 mm or with a knife edge starting from a diameter of 10 mm. “These small conveyors are perfect for us, because we can integrate them directly into the machines,” explains Marco Corrado.
Since its foundation in 1958, the family-owned company Beck Packautomaten has been producing a wide range of fully automatic film packaging machines and shrink wrapping machines. Flexible standard machines, special machines specially adapted to customer requirements and industry-specific special equipment are supplied world-wide in various industries.
In the past, Beck Packautomaten often purchased the conveyors for its machines from a variety of other manufacturers. However, they were never fully satisfied with the machines: The previous conveyors were too inflexible, too much effort and therefore to expensive. The appearance of the conveyors was also often not a good match for the design of the Beck machines. One of the first tasks that Marco Corrado took on at Beck Packautomaten was basically to find the right new supplier of conveyor technology.
Through a classic market comparison and an assessment of price-performance ratios, he finally came across mk. The mk products were tested and it quickly became clear: mk is the right supplier. Corrado now has a fixed expert contact person for any issues, either commercial or technical. “Whenever we have needed advice, the mk staff have always been excellent in helping us along.”